A Special Night Off
by AoUsagi
Summary: No fighting, just a simple one-shot at Deunan and Briareos. Year's after they were separated, and then thrown back together, she remembers a promise that he made her all those years ago...but love is never that simple, right? plz R&R tell me wot u think


**-:-A Special Night Off-:-**

_**Author's Note:**_

Okay – here is another silly Appleseed 3 shot I took a while back, even before I'd finished watching Appleseed Ex Machina. I had this picture of Deunan not fighting, but being back in that dress, with Briareos back in a tux, on their wedding anniversary, years after the war that separated. Heh – kinda makes you wonder who old Deunan actually is… anyhow, enjoy!

_Mercy_

PS – This is dedicated to risensoldier, for all the laughs, the conversations, the trading of ideas and the incredible support you've given me.

**-:-**

'Hey, Deunan!' Tereus was shaking her awake.

'What?' she mumbled blearily, and tried to pull the covers back over her head.

Tereus laughed, and was hit in the face with a pillow.

'Wake up, sleepy head! Or have you forgotten something?' he asked teasingly.

'Um, let's see, I think I forgot to hot wire those cables attached to your brain so you could fry overnight and I could actually get a decent sleep-in once in a while.' The bedspread muffled her voice, but the threat remained standing, and Tereus just laughed it off.

'No. Something even more important than that. Shall I give you a hint?'

Deunan groaned. 'If you _must_.' She sighed.

'I can sum it up in two words. The first word is _your_, and the second one is _anniversary._'

Deunan flung off the covers and sat up like a bolt of lightning, her face totally mortified.

'Oh my God! I totally forgot! What'll Briareos say?' she jumped up, but Tereus calmly took her by the shoulders and forced her to sit back down. He was grinning like a maniac.

'Stop worrying. Briareos isn't expecting to see you for another seven hours. You've got plenty of time.'

She glared at him and said darkly,

'I hate you when you do that.'

Tereus grinned again, stepped back, and took a low sweeping bow.

_When his sense of humour develops, _thought Deunan,_ I swear I will whip his arse for that._

Tereus left her to get dressed, and Deunan mulled over the day ahead.

How could she have forgotten her anniversary with Briareos? Today was May 15th, the date that marked the day when they had left their home city and left with thousands of troops to fight in the war. This almost felt the same, but this time she would be going to a celebration, not a war.

Kind of the same, really.

Pulling open the wardrobe doors, Deunan remembered that this party was celebrating the day that Briareos had asked Deunan to marry him, but that was between her and Briareos. She thought back to that day, trying to relive as much of the memory as she could.

_The morning was bright in Deunan's room, and she woke to the sound of Briareos's phone beeping. He answered it, so Deunan continued packing her things from the night before. _

_He was speaking quietly, and Deunan couldn't hear what he was saying. Finally, he hung up._

_Coming into her room, he looked gave._

'_What's wrong?' she asked, standing up from where she had been kneeling._

_Saying nothing, he walked over to her and took her hands, looking deep into her face._

'_There's just been a call for both of us… out at the front… we have to go now… I'm sorry, Deunan, oh sweetheart…'_

_Tears were welling in Deunan's eyes, and Briareos pulled her close, holding her tightly._

'_We… both have to go?' she whispered._

'_Yes. But we will always have each other. Remember that.'_

_They stepped away from each other for a moment, and suddenly Briareos dropped to one knee._

'_What's wrong? Are you hurt?' Deunan asked, concerned. He shook his head, and took her hand again._

'_Deunan, I'm so scared, and you're the only thing left for me to live for. After the war, will you…would you marry me?'_

_Deunan gasped. She was ready for the war, but this she had never expected._

'I'm sorry, I don't have a ring,' apologized Briareos. 'But our love means more than that.'

'I know that,' Deunan whispered, and sank down onto her own knees, her arms around his neck.

Smiling, she put her face close enough to his that she could count the streaks of colour in is iris that surrounded the pupils in his eyes.

'Yes, Briareos.' She whispered, and a smile spread slowly across his face.

A sharp knock at the door brought Deunan back to reality with a jolt.

'It's open, come in.' the door opened, and Briareos stood in the doorway.

'Morning, sleeping beauty. Your up late.' He chuckled as she groaned and turned back to her wardrobe.

'What in Gods name possessed you to forget our anniversary? Surely you've had you brain wiped, or something in that proximity.' Briareos came up behind her as she shrugged off her tank top, and wrapped his cold metal arms around her bare shoulders. Deunan shivered and tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

'Get off! Briareos, your so cold! It feels as if you've been standing in a freezer overnight!'

He laughed and hugged her tighter, squeezing her against him.

Deunan finally gave up struggling and accepted him embrace. She loved him when he was like this. It seemed that each time they spent time together on their anniversary, he could always seem more human than if it was any other day.

After a while, she freed an arm and tapped Briareos on his shoulder.

'Let go, Briareos. Let me get some clothes on, please.'

'All right. Since you asked so nicely and seeing as it is our anniversary.'

'Thank you! I beginning to feel as if you wanted to squeeze me so hard that I was going melt into you cyber-bionics.' Deunan sighed, and reached for a top that was strewn on her wardrobe floor.

'You never tidy up your closet, do you? Or is that the job you leave for the cleaners?'

'One of the many, yes.' She sighed, yanking it over her head, only for it to get caught in her hair.

'Ow! Briareos, a little help, if possible, please.'

Briareos laughed as he began helping her untangle her short hair from the tag of her shirt.

'Only you could get hair as short as yours tangled up in a tank top.'

'Untangle me before I stick you in the recycle.'

Later on that morning, Deunan went down stairs, and saw her kitchen invaded by familiar faces.

Hitomi and Tereus were sitting at the table, and Briareos was standing behind the bench stirring a cup of coffee.

'Your up! Oh, Deunan, your hair's a mess!' Hitomi cried, standing to greet her.

'Doesn't anyone know how to say anything else?'

Tereus laughed, and Briareos came up behind her again, but this time with the cup of coffee, which he handed to her.

'Look upon it as affection, not disgust. We're allowed to have time off from being serious on our anniversary, aren't we?' he asked, laying his head on top of hers. She smiled and snuggled into the cyborg, relishing the closeness.

Deunan stepped away, and was only to be caught by Hitomi, who was keen on smoothing down her hair.

'Hitomi! Ow! Stop, please! I'll fix it later! I promise!' she begged, to try to get Hitomi from running her fingers through Deunan's messy hair. Hitomi giggled.

'You've got until five,' she said, 'And that's when I come to help you get ready for the party.'

Deunan groaned, causing an eruption of laughter from her friends around her.

'Poor you,' cooed Tereus, 'If I could, I would save you from Hitomi's grasp, but, hey, let's face it, I can't stand all that make-up and girly stuff!'

Deunan felt slightly green at the thought of sitting in front of her dressing table for hours on end while Hitomi used her like a dress-up doll.

Hitomi smiled reassuringly.

'Don't worry, Deunan,' she said. 'I promise that I won't make you sit still for too long.'

Briareos nudged Deunan from behind.

'That's what she says!' he chuckled.

Deunan scowled, but then her face relaxed into a smile. She knew how much Briareos and Hitomi loved to make fun of each other, and neither one let the chance slide when it came around.

'Hit the gym, soldier!' Tereus called from the door. 'I got in some new training equipment last night! Come out soon and give 'em a spin.' He had already disappeared before she could question his statement.

'I have to run a few errands out in the city, and I'll be back in a few hours. See you later!' Hitomi called, and she too left.

Sighing, Deunan flopped into the nearest chair.

'What just happened?' she asked Briareos.

He laughed quietly, went over to her and hugged her.

'Never mind. I'm glad you got the cure for that virus last year, because otherwise tonight wouldn't be as special as it'll turn out to be.'

She smiled at him.

'It was pure accident. But I'm glad I found it too.' Looking back, Deunan remembered how scary it had been with Briareos under the affects of the virus.

He stood up straight, and said,

'I'll be out in the gym if you need me. Some of the stuff Tereus picked up was worth what he paid for it.'

'Yeah. I might come out later, but for now, I need to relax. See you later.'

He squeezed her hand one last time, and then left her.

Watching him go, she smiled to herself. It never ceased to amaze her how anyone could be so kind and loving, even if they were cyborg.

At about five that afternoon, Deunan heard a knock at her door.

'Yes, Hitomi?'

Hitomi poked her head around the door.

'Ready?' she asked, smiling.

Deunan groaned inwardly. The dreaded moment had come, but some part of her actually felt excited about the night ahead. She nodded to Hitomi, who came in and placed a make-up bag on the dressing table.

'Come on, Deunan, there's no use trying to worm your way out of it, so let's get going.'

Deunan sat up from where she was lying on her bed, and went to the wardrobe with Hitomi behind her.

'Is that the only dress you own?' Hitomi asked as Deunan took the soft black and white dress that she had worn at Hitomi's birthday party off the hanger, along with the black veil.

'Well…yeah, I guess so.' Holding it up for Hitomi to examine for any stains, Deunan rolled her eyes.

Hitomi laughed.

'Put it on, I'll wait outside.'

Once Hitomi had left her, Deunan looked down at the dress. Even though she despised dresses in general, this one was special. Something about it suited her. Sighing, she pulled off her top and slid the dress over her head. Into the abyss.

'Ow!'

'Stop wriggling, Deunan!'

'Arrgh! Get off! Off! Off!'

'Come on, you'll look great!'

'No! I look like a hybrid disaster gone wrong!'

'Only a very pretty one, now cut it out!'

Deunan waved her arms in the air in exasperation. This had been a nightmare. She had only been sitting still for ten minutes when Hitomi had started to try to untangle her hair.

A lock of her hair fell in front of her face, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand, smudging her lipstick and the sleeve of her dress.

'Oh, Deunan, quit being so childish! Now look what you've done! It'll take me ages to get that off your sleeve!' Hitomi cried reproachfully.

'Who says you're the one washing it?' Deunan muttered, and Hitomi sighed.

'Oh well, I think you look better without lipstick, anyway. Here, let me wipe it off.' Taking a cloth, she wiped the make-up from Deunan's face, and then spread a little bit of lip-gloss over her lips.

'Ick.' Deunan groaned.

'It's to make sure that you at least look the part, Deunan. Hand me the veil, I'll put it on straight this time.'

Deunan sighed again and gave Hitomi the black veil, which she secured on top of Deunan's head, covering her hair.

'Go out to the gym,' said Hitomi as she stood and wiped the smudged make-up from her hands.

'Why?' Deunan asked, wondering what was going on.

'You need to dance at the celebration. So we've arranged for you to have dancing lessons.'

Deunan looked at her suspiciously, 'With whom?'

'Go and find out.'

Deunan stepped into the gym through the side door.

Everything had been cleared up, and had either been stacked neatly in the closet, or put out of the way, leaving a clear space in the middle of the floor.

Tereus stood in front of a boom box, and was fiddling with the CD player.

'So, how bad is it?' he asked, looking up as she approached.

'Well, I guess that's up to what everyone else thinks.'

He stood.

'Well, I certainly think you look stunning. Hitomi did a great job.' He said, as he looked her up and down.

Deunan wore the minutest bit of eye shadow, her eyelashes had been darkened and they looked fuller and darker than they already were, and the lip-gloss made her lips shine nicely.

'Thanks,' she smiled at him nervously, and he broke the uncomfortable silence.

'Shall we begin the dancing lesson?'

'Um… okay,' she said, and Tereus stepped forward, showing her the right position to be in.

'Okay, move with me. One, two, three, one, two, three. Slide, slide, step. There you go, you've got it!'

They waltzed a little crazily around the gym, and as they passed the boom box, Tereus switched on the CD player.

With the music playing, they managed to settle into more of a relaxed, swaying rhythm.

'I don't know what Hitomi was talking about when she said you had two left feet, because you doing brilliantly!'

Deunan blushed, and felt a little uneasy being so close to the bioroid. Was she really doing that well? This thought put her off her stride and she tripped over Tereus as he moved back to her, sending both of them crashing to the hard lino floor.

'Oh God! I'm sorry, are you okay?' she asked, scrambling to her feet and offering Tereus a hand.

'Yeah. I'm good. You?' he accepted her hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

'Your lucky,' he said, examining her face. 'Your make-up didn't smudge.'

Deunan grunted and as the music finished, there was a knock at the gym door.

Suddenly, instead of answering the knock, Tereus pushed Deunan towards one of the closets. 'Hide.' He hissed urgently.

'Why? What's wrong?'

'Just get in there and hide! No arguments, and not a sound!'

She buried herself beside some gym equipment, thankful for the black veil covering her blonde hair.

Tereus opened the gym door, and Deunan heard a couple of voices. Hitomi and Briareos.

'Your early.'

'Yeah. Everything okay? We didn't see Deunan leave.' Hitomi sounded slightly concerned. Deunan wondered how Tereus would get himself out of it.

'She's a wonderful dancer, so I decided to end the lesson early. She's back in her room as we speak.'

'Oh, well, that's good news. Looks you may have some competition, Briareos!' Hitomi laughed.

When did Briareos become a crash hot dancer? Deunan wondered.

Briareos shrugged off the comment.

'Nah,' he said, 'I'll mess the whole thing up and ruin it for Deunan. Why bother? Really?'

So Briareos was just as nervous as Deunan, but Hitomi and Tereus insisted.

'Of course you wont! Just get on with the lesson. You'll be fine!' Tereus reassured him, and behind his back, he signaled to Deunan to go out through the door at the back of the closet. She was already gone.

That night, Hitomi brought the car to a halt outside her apartment building, the one that had the evening restaurant up on top, where they'd had Hitomi's birthday party last year.

'It's… really big, Hitomi…' Deunan faulted. How many people would be there? Her stomach knotted itself into a tailspin of excitement as they got out of the car and looked up at the enormous building.

'Oh, don't be so silly, Deunan. It's the same place we used for my birthday party last year. It only looks big to you because you're all excited about it.' Hitomi explained calmly.

'Sure.' Deunan muttered, and took a deep breath of the evening air. It was a beautiful night, one that Deunan would prefer to spend outside instead of being cooped up inside with people she was only vaguely familiar with.

Hitomi giggled and grabbed Deunan's arm. 'Come on.' She said. 'You'll be fine, honestly.'

Deunan sighed and let herself be dragged inside.

She didn't see Briareos anywhere. Was he there? Had he even come at all? Deunan had been scouting around for over an hour, but there was no sign of him.

She was becoming concerned, because Hitomi said not to worry, and Tereus told her he'd keep an eye out for him, but so far no one had seen him.

Deunan wove her way through the crowds of people, still searching for Briareos. He shouldn't be that hard to find, with being so big and so, well, metal.

All around her, people were laughing and talking, catching up or having friendly arguments, some called out to her, some waved, and others smiled and stopped to say hi.

She shrugged them all off as she headed for the door, eager to get out of the crowded hall.

Stepping out into the garden, Deunan inhaled deeply. The night breeze blew gently over her bare shoulders, and her skirt ruffled slightly in the gentle wind.

She stood in front of the pond, and watched the full moon reflect off the waters shimmering surface.

'You're late.' A deep teasing voice drifted over her shoulder.

Deunan turned and saw Briareos standing in his tuxedo. His rabbit ears looked a little strange, poking up at an odd sort of angle.

'Where were you? I've been looking for you for over an hour! I was scared that you hadn't shown up at all!' she cried, and he chuckled, stepping over to her.

'Waiting for you to show up.' He chuckled, laying a hand on her shoulder, and then pulling her close into a hug. Deunan sighed against him, and they stood like that for a minute or two, just standing and being close to each other.

'Briareos?' Deunan whispered.

'Yeah?'

'There's something about tonight that's different…why are you looking at me like that?' Deunan frowned up at him, and Briareos shook his head as if coming out of a trance.

'Like what?'

'Like that.'

Briareos laughed slightly, and then took hold of her hand.

'Don't worry. Besides, how do you know what my facial expression looks like?'

Deunan smiled up at him and stepped back, not letting go of his metal hand.

'Because I'm like that. Come on, Hitomi's calling us.' She said, hearing Hitomi's cries.

They walked inside together, and met Hitomi on the porch.

'Deunan! There you are! Come on, you both have to make a quick speech!' she said hurriedly, dragging Deunan inside.

'Hitomi, what…?' Deunan began, but was only pulled along by Hitomi, and followed by Briareos.

'Go with the plan, right Deunan?' Briareos chuckled in her ear.

'The back up! Where's my back up?' she cried, and Briareos laughed.

'No clue, point-man,' he chuckled, and laughed even harder at her reaction. Deunan rolled her eyes and nearly bumped into Hitomi as Hitomi stopped.

Hitomi stepped up onto the steps where she had entered from the year before on her own birthday party, and raised her hand for silence.

Deunan looked around nervously. She caught sight of Yoshitsune, who gave her a thumbs-up. Briareos was at her shoulder, and then Hitomi started speaking.

'Thank you for coming tonight. As you know, it's a celebration that none of the gathered soldiers and other respected people of Olympus should miss. It is, of course, the day we celebrate the day that began and ended the Global War. The day we were first joined by the legendary soldier Deunan Knute!'

Hitomi reached out to Deunan, motioning for her to join her. Deunan forced herself to stay calm, and then stepped up beside Hitomi.

Applause erupted from the audience, and Deunan found her throat dry and her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

After the applause had faded, Hitomi gave Deunan a gentle elbow.

Showtime.

'Um, thanks for coming. I had no idea that today was the day that the Global War started and ended,' Deunan began nervously. Then, Briareos stepped up behind her, and she felt more stable, like she wasn't about to fall over.

'But now tonight has come, the night I've worried about, muttered about, and discussed for a long time, has come. And now it has, I want to tell you all something. Something that I feel everyone should know, and that it should no longer be a secret.'

Deunan took a deep breath, stealing a glance at Hitomi, who was smiling at her.

'Today,' she continued, wondering if Briareos would mind. She decided he wouldn't, and carried on. 'Tonight was the night almost six years ago now that Briareos asked me to marry him.'

Everyone's eyes widened, including Hitomi's, Tereus's, and Yoshi's. Suddenly, applause broke out again, and music started playing again.

Briareos took her hand.

'Dance?'

Deunan smiled up at him.

'Maybe outside?'

The two of them headed out into the garden, not speaking, listening to the music flowing gently from inside the hall.

A slow, waltz-like song came on, and Briareos slid his hand around Deunan's waist, pulling her close.

She rested a hand on his broad shoulder, allowing herself to be folded into his embrace.

They moved in time to the music, swaying gently, and Deunan felt the steps she had rehearsed with Tereus coming naturally now, not like she had to concentrate to get it right.

Briareos was moving to the same rhythm as she was, and they were moving in perfect unison, even though it wasn't exactly in time with the music.

'Deunan?' Briareos's voice was a light whisper, and Deunan looked up, feeling content, relaxed, and totally safe in his arms.

'Yes?' the silence was calming, and Deunan almost strained to hear Briareos's voice.

'Remember…back when we first met?' he asked, and Deunan thought back, remembering.

'Yeah,' she whispered, and the song behind them ended. Briareos led her by the hand over to a bench that overlooked the moonlit pond.

They sat down together, and he slid an arm around her again, bringing her closer. Deunan laid her head against his chest, listening as the next song started, reliving the memory.

_Deunan scanned the crowd. Was he there? She couldn't see him at all, but she was sure to bump into him. After her father's speech, she mingled with the crowd, searching for her best friend – Theo._

_Then, she saw him._

_He was standing with Jacson and another young man, probably about the same age, talking and laughing._

_She stopped for a moment, taking in the newcomer's appearance. He had a striking presence, his long black hair pulled back into a ponytail with several strands hanging down on either side of his handsome face._

_Then, she remembered what she was there for. Seeing Theo._

'_Theo!' she called, and he turned, catching sight of her. She waved him over, and he gave her a thumb up sign, before politely excusing himself from the group._

_Briareos watched as Theo moved away from them, and he caught the eye of the Colonel's daughter._

_Deunan._

_She had stunning aqua eyes, accentuated by the faint touch of eye shadow, and the black dress she wore was absolutely gorgeous on her._

_But when Theo came level with her, she tore her gaze away from Briareos's and turned to Theo._

_She and Theo headed over to a table in a quieter corner, his hand on her slender shoulder._

'_You got it bad, man,' Jacson said, nudging Briareos._

_Shaking his head, Briareos joked it off._

'_Get over yourself,' he replied. 'Slut my boot. Pay up.'_

_Jacson handed over the money regretfully._

_From then on, Briareos was always trying to catch sight of Deunan, but every time she seemed to be alone, someone would turn her head and she would be caught into conversation again._

_Briareos poured himself another drink after losing sight of her, and then – _

'_Oh! Oh, God, I'm so sorry – '_

_A young woman knocked into him, and he whirled in time for her to stumble against him, trying to regain her balance._

'_Oh, God…sorry,' she said breathlessly, looking up into his face as he put an elbow under her arm to help balance her. Briareos stopped almost dead._

_It was Deunan._

'_Oh…' he stumbled. 'You must be…'_

'_Deunan,' she said, smiling up at him and extending a hand. 'Deunan Knute.'_

_He nodded, and shook her hand, feeling her soft hand beneath his. 'Right. I'm Briareos. Captain in your father's unit.'_

_Deunan nodded in recognition, and then there was a voice behind them, booming over the loudspeaker asking for everyone to make their way to the dance hall._

'_Looks like we're being called,' Briareos said, and Deunan laughed._

'_Yep,' she said. 'I'm just going to hang around on the side. I couldn't dance to save a life. Father trained me as a soldier, not a dancer.'_

_This time, Briareos chuckled. He found talking to Deunan a lot easier than he had first thought. It just seemed…natural._

'_Come on,' he encouraged as they entered the hall. 'One dance.'_

_She smiled up at him, her brilliant eyes sparkling. 'And…'_

'_And I'm asking you for it.' He said, and she blushed slightly, casting her eyes around the room, looking everywhere but at him._

'_All right,' she sighed. 'One dance.'_

_The dance begun, and Deunan suddenly felt extremely nervous._

_She and Briareos took up the dance position, one that her father had quickly shown her earlier that day._

_The song started, a slow, waltz-like song that made Deunan feel dizzy as Briareos slid an arm around her waist._

_His touch was gentle, and Deunan felt her cheeks heat up. She had never thought of a man like this before, but Briareos had caught her eye…_

_Throughout the rest of the song, they waltzed in silence, occasionally receiving a comment from other passing dancers, but otherwise, they were only aware of each other._

'Deunan?'

Deunan's thoughts were torn away from reality with a jolt.

'I … never knew that I could still feel this way,' Briareos whispered. 'It feels…almost human.'

Deunan raised her head, and looked up at Briareos. He wasn't looking at her, but straight ahead, out over the large, oval pond.

'I remember,' she said softly, relishing the memory. 'When we were first together.'

Briareos's chest shook with laughter, and Deunan smiled, knowing that he, too, was remembering.

'Yep,' he said gently, in a sort of matter-of-fact tone. 'You were so freaked after you figured that we'd slept together. And then…'

'And then you seduced me back into your bed, only to have our affair broken up when my father called. After that, I pretty much avoided you.'

Briareos chuckled again. 'Uh-huh. Until I cornered you and forced you to tell me what the _h _was going on.'

Deunan smiled again, thinking about Briareos's in-your-face attitude.

Briareos sighed beneath her.

'Briareos?' she whispered.

'Yes, Deunan?' his answer was soft and quiet, his deep voice filled with emotion.

Deunan sat up, and looked into the five glowing eyes on his mechanical face.

'I…' she whispered, not knowing how exactly to say what she wanted to. Suddenly, Briareos's cool hand was on her face, stroking her cheek.

'Shh,' he soothed. 'I love you.'

Deunan let out the breath she'd been holding in, trying to come to terms with what he'd just said.

When he came out with it like that, it didn't mean anything to her. It felt…hollow. Empty and uncaring. Every other time Briareos had ever said something like that; it had been … loving and full of meaning.

Deunan swallowed, thinking how ungrateful and pathetic she was. She didn't need Briareos to say he loved her; she already knew that.

But…Captain Lance had said that even cyborg's that were once human had barely any real emotion left. That meant very little capacity for happiness, sadness, anger, or…love.

Deunan pulled away from Briareos, sliding away from his warm embrace. He turned his head towards her, but didn't say anything.

He could tell from her expression. He had offended her.

'I'll…I'll be inside,' she said flatly, and got up off the bench, walking quickly towards the Hall.

At the steps, she turned back and looked out over the garden. From where she stood, she couldn't see the bench where she and Briareos had been sitting. It was obscured by a luscious willow tree.

But before she stepped inside, she caught a flash of metal. Briareos stood, outlined by the moon, by the oval shaped pool.

The surface was flat and his reflection seemed to be watching her too.

Wiping away an angry tear on the sleeve of her dress, Deunan turned and headed inside, wishing that the night wasn't so long.

'That was the longest party I've ever experienced.' Deunan grumbled to Hitomi as she climbed wearily climbed out of Hitomi's newest car.

'It wasn't that bad,' Hitomi reasoned. 'And that announcement took everyone by shock. Honestly, Deunan, you really should have married Briareos back then.'

Deunan sighed, remembering seeing Briareos standing by the pond, outlined by the moon.

'It…we weren't ready for something like that. And besides, we were marching off to war, not a wedding.'

Hitomi giggled, and then her face grew serious.

'Deunan?'

'Yes?' Deunan tensed as she caught Hitomi's slightly worried stare.

'You've been acting off all night, ever since you came back in from the garden. Was … was everything all right with Briareos out there?'

Deunan nodded, biting her lip as she swiped the veil off her head, shaking her blond hair free.

'Sure,' she said briskly. 'We just…had an argument. Nothing big.'

Although Deunan didn't see it, Hitomi sighed and watched her sadly as she retreated into her apartment. It hurt Hitomi's heart to see Deunan wounded like this, but Deunan was never to know.

Perhaps things would be better in the morning. Hitomi doubted it, but, like Deunan and Briareos being so close before and after the war, Hitomi knew all too well that miracles could happen. Maybe. Hitomi hoped, sent a silent prayer to heaven for the two arguing lovers, that just maybe, things would be all right.

_**AfterNote:**_

It was a fun thing to write – even if no one reads it. And yes, to those who DID read it and are scratching their heads about Deunan and Briareos's conversation in the garden about their love affair before the war, I MADE IT ALL UP! (And I even wrote out that scene – but it's pretty graphic and I got the idea for it from something else. ((I think it was Starship Troopers – but I'm not sure…))…) but I digress. To those who read and enjoyed or managed to stomach it, thank you! I love you all!

– _Mercy_


End file.
